A.C.E.: Alberta Craft Excellence features a diverse selection of exceptional Fine Craft artists in our province today. Marking the Alberta Craft Council’s 40th anniversary (2020), the exhibition serves both to celebrate and to commemorate excellence in Alberta contemporary and traditional fine craft recognizing quality, authenticity, innovation, and craftsmanship.  

The invited jury - two professional makers Natali Rodrigues and Sharon Rose Kootenay and craft historian Jennifer Salahub had the arduous task of selecting from many high-quality submissions, those most representative of craft excellence in 2020. 

Participating Artists:  Jim Etzkorn, Pamma FitzGerald, Brian McArthur, Mackenzie Kelly-Frère, Susan Kristoferson, Liv Pedersen, Bonita Datta, Bonny Houston, Marty Kaufman, Brenda Malkinson, Jackie Anderson, Karen Cantine, Sarabeth Carnat, Albertine Crow Shoe, Charles Lewton-Brain, Shona Rae, John Smith-Jones, Simon Wroot, Kenton Jeske, Talar & Jean-Claude Préfontaine, Erin Schwab.  

Curated by Shiemara Hogarth

Audre Lorde once said that “if I didn’t define myself for myself, I would be crunched into other people’s fantasies for me and eaten alive.”

eva birhanu and Simone Elizabeth Saunders define for themselves, in this body of work, permanent manifestations through sculptural and textile practices that reckon with the necessary conversations surrounding race, gender, roots and identity.

Conceived as a visual narrative and social commentary, Sharon Rose Kootenay’s Manitohkewin series explored the artist’s relationship between cultural practices, spiritual beliefs and global concerns.
Manitohkewin was made possible in part with the support of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts: Indigenous Arts Individual Project Grant, the Royal Alberta Museum, and the Glenbow Museum.